The New York Mets were not expected to be the leaders in the NL East this late into the season, as the Atlanta Braves were largely considered to be the team to beat in the division. But the Mets hold the lead over all other challengers in this division as July nears its end.
On Wednesday, the Braves will look to earn a series victory over the Mets and pull closer to the top of the standings.
Braves Look to Win Road Trip
The final game of this four-game series against the New York Mets will be the eighth straight game they have played on the road. Thus far, the Atlanta Braves have won four of their first seven games during the trip, splitting a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies before taking the first two of three in New York. A win here would be huge for the Braves, as it would give them a winning road trip at 5-3 as opposed to a 4-4 split.
If the Braves are going to get a victory and pull within three games of the Mets for first place, they are going to need a strong outing from starting pitcher Max Fried. Fried has had plenty of ups and downs this season, going 7-6 on the year with an ERA of 4.46. Against a Mets team that has struggled at the plate in this series, Fried’s ability to locate could decide whether the Braves hold the Mets down once again or if the New York bats wake up.
Mets Holding Onto First Place
It hasn’t been a glamorous season by any means for the Mets, as they are the only division leader in baseball with under 55 wins on the season. But the Mets are in the position that any team would want to be in heading toward the stretch run, which is in first place with a chance to make the playoffs. In order to finish things out, though, they will need to win games like this to avoid losing series to the other contenders in the NL East.
Thus far, the Mets have struggled to put up runs against the Braves in this series, scoring just 7 runs in three games. In the first two games of the series, the Mets had scored just one run in total, while they scored 5 in a losing effort on Tuesday. In Wednesday’s game, the Mets will need to get to Fried early and avoid letting him build enough confidence to put together a strong start.
Braves vs. Mets Pick: Mets -135 to win
The bats have been uncharacteristically cold for the Mets so far in this series, but that could change with Max Fried on the mound for Atlanta. Fried’s WHIP this season is closer to 1.5 than it is 1.0 on the season, which means that he is going to be susceptible to runners on base more often than not. Expect the Mets to get themselves back on track offensively here, as they will take advantage of the chances being presented to them en route to a victory.
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